Association of a polymorphism of BTN2A1 with dyslipidemia in community-dwelling individuals.

We have previously shown that the C→T polymorphism (rs6929846) of the butyrophilin, subfamily 2, member A1 gene (BTN2A1) was significantly associated with myocardial infarction. Considering that dyslipidemia is a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease, it was hypothesized that the association between rs6929846 of BTN2A1 and myocardial infarction may be attributable, at least in part, to its effect on the susceptibility to dyslipidemia. The purpose of the present study was to examine a possible association of rs6929846 of BTN2A1 with dyslipidemia in community‑dwelling individuals. The study subjects were comprised of 5,958 community‑dwelling individuals (2,909 subjects with dyslipidemia and 3,049 controls) who were recruited into a population‑based cohort study in Inabe, Japan. Dyslipidemia was defined by a serum concentration of triglycerides of ≥1.65 mmol/l, a serum high‑density lipoprotein‑cholesterol concentration of <1.04 mmol/l or a serum low‑density lipoprotein (LDL)‑cholesterol concentration of ≥3.64 mmol/l. A comparison of the allele frequencies or genotype distributions by the χ2 test revealed that rs6929846 of BTN2A1 was significantly associated with dyslipidemia (P<0.05). A multivariable logistic regression analysis adjusted for age, gender, body mass index, smoking status and the prevalence of diabetes mellitus revealed that rs6929846 of BTN2A1 was significantly (dominant model; P=2.4x10-4; odds ratio, 1.29) associated with dyslipidemia, with the minor T allele representing a risk for this condition. Among all the individuals, the serum concentrations of total cholesterol, triglycerides and LDL‑cholesterol were significantly greater for individuals in the combined CT and TT genotype groups than for those with the CC genotype. BTN2A1 may thus be a susceptibility gene for dyslipidemia in community‑dwelling individuals.